Full Tang Kukri, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Green Micarta Handle

The kukri is the forward curving Nepali knife, and this is the plain working version of it. The blade is 11 inches of 5160 spring steel with 16.5 inches overall, built full tang with green micarta scales, so nothing about it is precious. It goes to people who camp and cut firewood, and want a knife they can bring back on a stone and use again.

Specification

The blade

5160 spring steel is what the traditional makers use and name. It is tough enough to take a hard chop without chipping and it comes back easily on a stone. The finish is dark gray from the forge with a wide mirror bright bevel. The blade leaves the handle narrow, sweeps forward and down and widens towards the tip, so the weight sits out at the end. The cho at the base of the edge stops a cut running back into the handle. It is carbon steel, so it patinas and wants drying.

The handle

The scales are green canvas micarta, matte, with the canvas layers showing as fine lines at the edges. Micarta grips when your hands are wet and it does not swell or shrink outdoors. Three flush rivets hold it, level with the surface so nothing catches. The tang is full, the steel showing as a bright line all round the handle.

The karda and the chakmak

Two small knives ride in pockets on the back of the scabbard. The karda is the sharp one, used for the fine work a heavy blade cannot do. The chakmak is blunt, used to true up an edge that has rolled and traditionally struck to raise a spark. Every serious Nepali maker includes them and names them. Ours come with the knife.

The leather

The scabbard is water buffalo leather over a wooden core, with a brass cap at the tip, a leather belt frog and hand stitching down the seam. The two pockets on the back hold the karda and the chakmak. The face is hand tooled with an overlapping half moon stamp inside a carved border, struck into damp leather one mark at a time.

Who it suits

This is the one to buy if the knife will be used rather than displayed.

• Campers and bushcraft users who chop firewood
• Anyone who wants a full tang kukri
• Buyers who want a handle that shrugs off wet weather
• People who sharpen their own edges

What comes in the box

• The full tang kukri
• The tooled leather scabbard
• The karda and the chakmak
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each blade is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two are alike. The forge finish and the depth of the tooling vary, so yours will differ from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or a file following the existing bevel, working the belly of the curve. Oil it before storage and let the leather dry away from heat. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade or a handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a kukri? It is the forward curving Nepali knife, made to cut with the belly of the blade.

What does full tang mean? The steel runs the whole length of the handle and shows as a line all round it.

What is the notch at the base of the edge? That is the cho, and it stops a cut running back into the handle.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.

How long until it ships? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days, and shipping is free over 99 dollars.

For the same handle in Damascus, see the Damascus kukri with black micarta, and for a longer reach in the same steel the 15 inch kukri with a rosewood handle. More sit in kukri knives, in high carbon steel knives, and in bushcraft and camp knives.